My entire family went to Sicily in late May and we stayed 3 nights at Hotel Kennedy.

In all our hotels (and by that time we had been to 5 other hotels in other cities in our Italy trip), this was by far the worst of the lot.

When we made the booking, it was with the understanding that there would be air-conditioning, though we were not yet in the height of Summer. When we checked it, the temperature was easily in the lower 30's so we requested the AC to be turned on, and were assured by the night manager that it was on.

IT WAS NOT, and was still on heater mode. As a result, we had to sleep with the windows open and became feasts for the mosquitoes. My 3 young kids had easily 10 bites each on their faces and arms. THe hotel provided insect coils but clearly we had not signed up for insect coils.

Problem was rectified the following day, but the damage had been done and I had my kids scratching through the entire tip in Sicily and our follow-on stay in Amalfi.

And then, in one of our rooms (we had total of 3 rooms for the family) the drainage in the tub could not catch up with the shower, so in the end of the shower, I was literally standing in a pool of dirty water.

The hotel looks like it was done up during the time of President JFK and looks and feels tired. The only upside was the free parking as well as breakfast.

The front staff was friendly, but sadly breakfast and the friendliness of the staff were the only 2 upside to our stay.

There's 2 small shops around for food as the hotel's restaurant was pricey, and the owners were quite friendly (the one opposite the main road to the hotel has a more friendly staff, though by evening they ran out of some of the food)

So overall, disappointed with the hotel

The Kennedy is located in a small city some 10 kilometres from Taormina. The hotel is built in the 70ties and the room’s furniture and equipment is equally old.

That being said it is clean and tidy and everything works. Located right on the waterfront the hotel hosts a beautiful view of the Mediterranean sea. There is no beach in direct conjunction to the hotel but a mini buss transports the guests the required 2 minutes down the beach.

The staff are immensely friendly and helpful. We had a minor accident at the hotel and the actions of the staff was impeccable and fast – less than 30 minutes later we had been consulted by a doctor and was back in the hotel room.

Going to Taormina the Kennedy is a good option with an extreme good value for money proposition.

Our stay at the Hotel Kennedy was a wonderful experience. The hotel was clean, had beautiful views and our every request was granted and more. All the people on staff were helpful, courteous and easy to speak to. The Kennedy also has two cafes in the immediate vacinity that provided the same excellent service and hospitality.

This was our second stay at the hotel Kennedy in three years.
In addition to having the cleanest rooms with great views it also has the most friendly, helpful staff. On our way to Messina we were talking in the lobby with the owner when someone mentioned that he had to wait several minutes in line at the autostrada exit to pay the toll. She immediately went to her car, and handed us her E-Z Pass" You go through faster with this". A kind gesture which certainly was not part of the amenities described in the brochure. The restaurant served meals as good as any we have had in Italy and our balconies on the sea offered us a most spectacular view every morning. The ability to reach Taormina in a few minutes was an added bonus. On our first trip we had children with us. The beach, the pool and the eagerness of the staff to accomodate their wants and needs made our family vacation very pleasant. We plan to spend more of our vacations there.
Giovanni Mastrangelo, M.D
Oldtown, Maryland